It's down to the wire, as farmers promised fairer drought aid

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Lay of the land Scott Miles, a spraying contractor near
Condobolin who has had no work for six months, says contractors
should be able to claim financial help.Photo: Kate Geraghty

The Federal Government will consider holding a new drought
summit after calls by a NSW farmers' body to work out a more "fair
and sensible" system for delivering aid.

The Federal Minister for Agriculture, Peter McGauran, has told
the Herald he is especially interested in a summit to work
out better financial incentives that ensure farmers can prepare for
future drought.

That and finding ways to overcome "gaping deficiencies" in the
method for declaring areas to be in "exceptional circumstances"
that triggers aid were his two top priorities in dealing with
drought, he said.

"It has to be acknowledged that it takes too long and it's too
complex before a region is [declared as] exceptional
circumstance."

Mr McGauran yesterday took the first step in cutting the red
tape that has hampered farmers seeking drought relief by writing to
the chairman of the National Rural Advisory Council, Keith Perrett,
asking for proposals to simplify the paperwork and any other
requirements placed on people applying.

His move follows a Herald investigation which found that
almost $600 million of $1 billion allocated to drought relief over
two financial years failed to reach farmers and businesses in
need.

This included $70 million earmarked for small businesses, of
which just $1.1 million was spent.

"None of it came here," said Scott Miles, 27, a Condobolin
spraying contractor who, due to drought, has had no jobs for six
months this year.

He called on the Government to overhaul drought relief so it
goes to contractors, too.

"We rely on the rain as much as the farmers," he said.

The president of the NSW Farmers' Association, Jock Laurie, said
that nothing had been resolved since a Parkes drought summit in
May, so fresh talks were needed to devise a new national
policy.

"Governments have got to get together in an open-minded forum
and make some changes that can help people who are in serious
trouble," he said.

Mr Laurie said he knew farmers who had not been caught by the
safety net designed for those in trouble. One was knocked back
three times over technicalities.

"It's a shame we have a system that just does not pick people
up. They fall through the holes because of some technical point
here or there. That's silly," he said.

"This is not a scheme of hand-out money for the cockies; it's a
scheme for handing out money to people who are genuinely very
severely affected by drought."

Mr McGauran said drought relief was "under constant
consideration", including a proposal to allow loans that would be
repaid only when farmers had the income to do so.